The stairway to seven Super Bowls will commence in a few weeks, when the New England Patriots return to Gillette Stadium for training camp. It’s a journey that will take a monumental effort from every member of the organization—from team owner Robert Kraft all the way down to the ball boy in the locker room.
However, there are five must-have players on the 2019 roster, if the Patriots have any hope of competing for another championship.
That may sound a bit ridiculous with a team coached by Bill Belichick, the NFL’s real-life doppelganger of Dr. Gregory House. There isn’t much the head coach/de facto general manager can’t fix on a football roster. Give him 11 boy scouts, a shoe string and a wad of bubble gum, and he’ll surely turn it into a contender somehow.
A Super Bowl champion, however, is an entirely different story.
The Patriots have assembled one of their deepest rosters we’ve seen in years, but here are their five most important players heading into the 2019 season.
Tom Brady
Surprise.
There isn’t a single individual within the Patriots organization more important to their long run of success than Tom Brady. The six-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback has already achieved all-time great status, and his insatiable love for winning hasn’t ebbed one bit at age 41.
There hasn’t been a surefire successor to the quarterback throne in Foxborough since the Patriots traded Jimmy Garoppolo to the San Francisco 49ers back in 2017. The only other options behind Brady right now is a perennial backup in Brian Hoyer, an unproven rookie fourth-round draft pick in Jarrett Stidham and Danny Etling, who might not even make the roster this season.
It’s still Brady-or-bust in the legendary quarterback’s 20th season with the Patriots.
Julian Edelman
Julian Edelman is a Hall of Fame-worthy player that doesn’t get the same respect as his peers. The reasoning is mostly due to him playing in the slot with a quarterback that seemingly makes every receiver he plays with look good.
Yet, it isn’t by mere coincidence Brady has won more big games with Edelman as his go-to receiver. The 33-year-old wideout won Super Bowl LIII MVP after the Patriots defeated the Los Angeles Rams in the championship game. He also moved in behind Hall of Fame receiver Jerry Rice for all-time receptions and receiving yards in the playoffs.
The Patriots will need his playmaking abilities more than ever without tight end Rob Gronkowski on the field in 2019, along with helping to ease the transition for rookie receiver N’Keal Harry.
Stephon Gilmore
The Super Bowl LIII MVP could have easily gone to a defensive player for the Patriots after they nearly shut out the Rams’ prolific offense. First-Team All-Pro cornerback Stephon Gilmore would have been the most deserving candidate after showcasing his suffocating coverage skills and hauling in the game-clinching interception in the red zone late in the fourth quarter.
The Patriots will need more of those elite coverage skills in the upcoming season in hopes of slowing down many of the high-flying passing offenses popping up around the league. Gilmore gives Belichick the option of putting an opposing team’s best player on an island, which is a luxury he hasn’t had since Darrelle Revis’ one-and-done stint with the team.
Sony Michel/James White
Yes, I went with two running backs here instead of one. Sue me.
But there is no minimizing the importance of both Sony Michel and James White in the offensive backfield. Michel is a legitimate Pro Bowl caliber running option that Brady hasn’t really had since Corey Dillon. His mere presence has helped the Patriots establish legitimate balance on offense, which has made them nearly impossible to stop.
It’s the main reason why they were able to defeat a more talented team like the Kansas City Chiefs in a pair of offensive shootouts last season. Michel also takes some of the pressure off Brady. We often joke about Brady being blessed with the Benjamin Button’s disease, but it also isn’t feasible for a soon-to-be 42-year-old quarterback dropping back to pass 50-plus times in a game.
As for White, Brady loves throwing to him almost as much as he loves throwing to Julian Edelman. The third-down back has established himself as one of the Patriots’ most reliable playmakers. Few players in the NFL come up as big as White in key moments on a consistent basis.
Dont’a Hightower
The secondary might be the strength of the Patriots’ defense, but there is no denying its heart still beats in the chest of All-Pro linebacker Dont’a Hightower. His versatility on the field, along with his leadership, is invaluable for a team like the Patriots that puts more stock in human chess over individual skill.
Belichick has always valued linebackers over just about every other position on defense, and they are generally his longest tenured players. Everyone loves to look fondly on the years of Willie McGinest, Tedy Bruschi and Mike Vrabel.
Hightower, a three-time Super Bowl champion, has worked his way into that same conversation.
